Man faces 6 felony counts in shooting that injured children

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2012 at 8:44 AM

Two young children, injured in a shooting during a domestic dispute in the Brooklyn Heights area, and a man in the home faces six separate felony charges in the incident, according to Jasper County Prosecutor Dean Dankelson.

John Hacker

Two young children, injured in a shooting during a domestic dispute in the Brooklyn Heights area, and a man in the home faces six separate felony charges in the incident, according to Jasper County Prosecutor Dean Dankelson.

Kenton C. Cowgill Jr., 27, Carthage, was charged on Tuesday with three counts of domestic assault, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, all felonies, in the wake of Monday’s shooting that left a two-year-old girl and four-year-old boy injured.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office gave the following account of what happened Monday morning.

Jasper County deputies were called to Mercy McCune-Brooks Hospital in Carthage at 11:20 a.m. Monday for patients with gunshot wounds.

Deputies found the boy and girl at the hospital being treated for injuries from a shotgun.

The deputies learned there had been a domestic dispute at a home at 9155 County Lane 173 in the Brooklyn Heights area.

According to the Sheriff’s office, deputies learned that Kenton C. Cowgill Jr., had gotten into a fight with his wife, Shayna N. Cowgill, and Shayna Cowgill had been injured in the face.

A short time later, Mark Wittenmyer, father of Shayna Cowgill, confronted Kenton Cowgill, who brandished a shotgun.

The two men began to struggle and the shotgun discharged, hitting the children in the face and upper body.

The two children are recovering at a Springfield hospital with injuries that are not considered life threatening, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Kenton Cowgill and Mark Wittenmyer were both arrested, but Prosecutor Dankelson said he only planned to file charges against Cowgill.

“I don’t anticipate charging Mr. Wittenmyer,” Dankelson said. “I thought that Cowgill was the aggressor and the person responsible for the shooting that took place, so we’ve filed numerous charges against him.”

The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is continuing. Bond for Cowgill was set at $250,000.